Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines) Johnson

Born in Texas in 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson grew up in the Hill Country and began his career as a teacher before entering politics. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and then the Senate, where his fierce drive and talent for persuasion made him one of the most powerful figures in Washington.

After serving as John F. Kennedy’s vice president, Johnson became president in 1963 following Kennedy’s assassination. He won election in his own right in 1964 and set out to build the "Great Society," backing major laws on civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, Medicaid, education, immigration, and anti-poverty programs.

Johnson’s presidency remains one of the most consequential and contested in American history. He achieved sweeping domestic reforms, but the Vietnam War came to define his time in office and damaged public trust in his leadership. He left the presidency in 1969 and died in Texas in 1973.